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11/05/2012

The Triumph of Ecumenical Protestants

In his Presidential address to the Organization of
American Historians and a subsequent interview in the Christian Century (see here),
David Hollinger argued that ecumenical Protestants (as opposed to evangelical
Protestants) made significant cultural gains at the expense of losing
membership: “The ecumenical
leaders achieved much more than they and their successors give them credit for.
They led millions of American Protestants in directions demanded by the
changing circumstances of the times and by their own theological tradition.
These ecumenical leaders took a series of risks, asking their constituency to
follow them in antiracist, anti-imperialist, feminist and multicultural
directions that were understandably resisted by large segments of the white
public, especially in the Protestant-intensive southern states.”

Hollinger argues that ecumenical Protestants might
not have suffered losses as substantial had they not tried to blur
denominational lines, leaving people in the pews to think their theological
views were not being taken seriously. According to Hollinger, the fear of then
united Catholicism led Protestant leaders to try for a united Protestantism,
and this backfired.

But he suggests that ecumenical Protestants should
not be caught up in the media focus on numbers in assessing success: “The victors are slow to claim victory
because they too often assume that numbers of church members are what counts
most. If they had a more capacious understanding of the ways in which religion
can function in society, they might be able to feel more pride in what
happened. The great Anglican archbishop William Temple used to say that any
church aware of its deepest missions would be willing to cease to exist if it
advanced its ultimate goals.”

I think Hollinger
makes an important point in pointing to an unappreciated factor in the numbers
decline in mainline Protestant denominations, but there are, of course, many
other factors including the fact that the birthrates of mainline Protestants
are less than those of evangelicals. Moreover, I think he is correct to suggest
that it is better for religious institutions to stand for truth than to curry
favor. Important as the cultural achievements which he credits to ecumenical
Protestants may be, even if the religious mission of ecumenical Protestants were
confined to social justice, I am sure Hollinger would agree that there is a
long way to go.

Finally, it is ironic
that the membership issues are not confined to ecumenical Protestants. The
decline in Anglo Catholics is indistinguishable from a percentage perspective
from mainline Protestants. Ecumenical Protestants are now experiencing a
decline. Our country, which was founded as an English Protestant country, is
now a minority Protestant multicultural nation. The longing for spirituality is
increasing, while the belief in religious organizations under siege. Thus it is
time to read Diana Butler Bass’s Christianity
After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening.
Nonetheless, millions of Americans continue to fill the pews even ecumenical
Protestant churches. They continue to be influential institutions in the
religious lives of their members and the cultural and political life of our
nation – and (to borrow a line from Stanley Fish), it’s a good thing too.